How to Write Your Own Wedding Ceremony

These days, couples are straying from the mundane wedding ceremonies of years past and getting a little bit more creative in the format. Rather than going with the safe route, many people have realized that they can write their own ceremony and make it completely personalized for their own relationship. This can be a daunting task for some, so here are some how to tips for writing your own ceremony.

Choose Your Style

Even if you want your wedding to be completely unique, there may be a particular style that you want to take inspiration from. There are many style options for wedding ceremonies that include:

• Free form
• Traditional
• Musical
• Civil
• Short and Sweet
• Long

In general, most couples try to stick with a 20-minute time limit so that their guests don’t get too stir crazy, but you can really do whatever you would like.

Decide What You Want to Include

Most wedding ceremonies incorporate some or all of the following components:

• An opening
• An address
• Readings
• Expression of intent
• The vows
• Ring ceremony
• Ring vows
• The pronouncement
• The kiss

When you write your own ceremony, you can choose to include a few of these components or none at all. Since it is completely up to you, you and your significant other can decide how to make your wedding ceremony flow. Some couples include family members in the ceremony, asking them to read special poems, perform musical numbers, or simply express messages of love. Set aside enough time before your wedding date to sit down together and decide what aspects of the ceremony are truly important to both of you. Including those events in the ceremony can made for a unique and special day for everyone involved.

Put it on Paper

Even if you have a general idea for how you want your ceremony to go, it’s important to get it down in writing. It is important that everyone involved be on the same page so that your wedding can go smoothly. If you need help figuring out how to turn your ideas into reality, try jotting down a rough draft to go over with your officiator. Since they have probably helped with many wedding ceremonies, they can probably give you an idea for how well your plans will work.

Planning the perfect, personalized wedding ceremony doesn’t have to be complicated. With so much flexibility available today, you can get creative and make an event that is unique to you.